† P. T. K. V. C. P. P. Q. Q. Q. N. 271 Saint Gertrude, whose recipes were falsely attributed to this thirteenthcentury Cistercian nun, and another grimoire titled The 6th and 7th Books of Moses, which includes an appendix on “the use and efficacy of the Psalms and their various purposes.” These texts combine caracteres with the Psalms. For its part, the Sepher Shimmush Tehillim indicates which verses of the Psalms to write and the divine name necessary to add to each one. Here are several examples. Against a premature birth, the first four verses of the first Psalm are combined this way to Ashray (happy), L (step), Yatzliah (will succeed), and Derech (route). The second Psalm is used against the dangers of a storm at sea, the third against back pain and headaches, the sixth against all eye disorders, the tenth against unclean spirits, the forty-fourth provides protection from one’s enemies, the fifty-eighth prevents a dog who is attacking someone from doing him any harm, and so on. Extracts from the psalms are also found on pentacles, especially in the tradition of The Lesser Key of Solomon. & Clavicules II, 17–19; Florence, Italy, Laurentian Library, ms. Plut. 89, Sup. 38; Godfrey Selig, trans. Sepher Shimmush Tehillim or Use of the Psalms for the Physical Welfare of Man. A Fragment Out of the Practical Kabbalah.; Dürig, “Die Verwendung des sogenannten Fluchpsalms 108 (109) im Volksglauben und in der Liturgie,” 1–84; Aubigné, L’Escalade, appendix § IV, 28 (amulet representing Psalm 57). † P. T. K. V. C. P. P. Q. Q. Q. N.: If someone hates you and you want him to fear you, you must write these letters on an animal hide and place it near his head while he is sleeping. & Braekman, no. 235. Psalm 23:7 Psalms 69:23, and 135:16 Psalm 116:16f f.
272 pxx • P459, F1392, C49947p92, 582, F3662 P XX: These are the first magical caracteres of a series accompanied by Kabbalistic signs that form an amulet against serpent venom, poisons, betrayals, and evil spells. P XX O + V ^ L3 + A + + M A + + 1 Z + 6 X X X Variants: It is possible that P would be the Greek rho and X the Greek chi; PXX would then represent Christ. & Bang, no. 1104; Horsley and Waterhouse, 211–30. ΦΕΥΓΕ: In the fourth century to heal a sty, the individual would prick it with the end of nine barley grains while saying each time: φευγε φευγε, χρείων σε διχει & Marcellus VIII, 193. Φυρφαραν: This word, when written on virgin parchment and attached to one’s person with a string, was believed to cure rheum during the fourth century. & Marcellus VIII, 56 P459, F1392, C49947p92, 582, F3662: Encrypted spell that reads like this: “To corrupt a girl, you must say and carry on your person while touching her hand with your own, the following words: Bestarbesto, corrumpat viscera cujus mulieris.” & Secrets magiques pour l’amour, no. XXVII.
273 Q QAMLA: The first word in a long spell that is described as a “very useful prayer,” whose purpose is not given. It must be written on a piece of paper, then hung around the individual’s neck with a silk ribbon. Qamla Clebsin Luo f lesmo optime Pilium Faut apta Sant Filionna nostra Rum. The ending seems to be a corruption of apta sunt filiorum nostrorum. The presence of apta would indicate that it involves binding something or someone. ✦ Qvinta. & Bang, no. 1174b. Q F: This is the abbreviation of quid faciunt, the last of Christ’s words: Ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt (Forgive them for they know not what they do), taken from the Gospel of Luke (23:34). This is another phrase that forms part of Bede’s Orison of Seven Words (or attributed to him), which ensures protection against all misfortune and prevents an individual from dying unconfessed. Q. H. N. C. F. A. RE.: This is a typical amulet spell that is found on a Latin charm intended to facilitate childbirth. & Franz II, 201. † Q. P. X. T. G. Y. H.: In fourteenth-century France, in order to learn if someone would recover from illness, this would be written on an egg that had been laid on the day when the illness began: it would be peeled the next day, and if it was found to be healthy, that meant that the patient would be cured. & Paris, National Library, ms. Latin 8654 B.
274 Q.T.P.M. • qvinta Q.T.P.M.: Abbreviation of qui tollit peccata mundi (who takes on the sins of the world) that appears on a Spanish amulet that is supposed to spare its owner from catastrophes. & Gran Grimorio, 1746. QVINTA: This is the lead-in to the spell Qvinta Cerbumluo Climu optima Pellium opta faut filliorum nostra, which must be written on a slip of paper that is next dipped into the blood of a billy goat in which a snake’s head has been placed. It is used as a lure for fish. The variants unfortunately do not make any more sense, but a request for good fishing in Latin can be made out in them. 1 (1750) 2 (1822) 3 (1800) Qvinta, Corbula, Olium Optima sunt. Siliorum nostra †. Qvento, Cerbulono, Liurne Optim, pillium, opta Sant Tillierum, Nostra Quitta cerbunt volimus optima piscium, exte sunt filiorum nose. 4 (1800) 5 (1700) 6 (1780) Pelium, Qvinta cerbo in lies Climo optime Natranum Nolimun Optima Primum, esta, sunt, Silicrum, Nostra Cgumlo Cleboin Luo Flome optimia Pilium fleut apla samt filiorma Nostrarum
QUOSUM SINOBIA ZENNI TANTUS LECT VERI 275 These corruptions offer a good example of a charm transmitted orally. & Bang, no. 1174. QUOSUM SINOBIA ZENNI TANTUS LECT VERI: To stop the pain of a toothache, it is necessary to write these words on a piece of paper and attach it to the jaw. & Egyptian Secrets I, 173.
276 R † R A B H Q †: These are the opening caracteres for a spell that works against ulcers in both humans and animals. The entire spell (see below) is written on a piece of paper that is then placed over the painful area. † R a b h q † H a s b a † E b n L H a † K a c K a a b u l a † K a s H a S † a † a o † b † o † † † o † & Egyptian Secrets I, 212. RABI HABI GABI: To heal intermittent fever, these words are written on a piece of bread that is then eaten. It is almost certainly a variant of Habi Dabi. Also see Abia, Dabi, and Habere. & Ohrt II, 123. RABUN RATTACU FLUXA MAX PARVENECH: To uncover a thief ’s identity, these words are written on a piece of cheese that is then given to the suspected individual to eat. If the person cannot swallow it, that is proof of his or her guilt. & Bang, no. 1065. RACK SMACK STRACK: This is a magic spell for treating fractures that dates from the end of the Middle Ages. It can be deciphered as “pull, stick together, hold!” & Heidelberg, Germany, University Library, Cpg 267, folio 77 r°. RADITUS OSTRATA ERIMAS: By owning a talisman engraved with these words and by saying the spell Raditus Polastrien Terpanau Ostrata Pericatur Erimas, one can be transported to wherever one wishes to go. & Trésor, 179b.
† RAERE † REDUCAT † RAROUT † . . . • RAPA. R. TARN . . . 277 † RAERE † REDUCAT † RAROUT † JESUS † MOMATHYS: This phrase was used in Holland as part of Saint Hubert’s Charm to heal skin rashes and inflammations. & Van Haver, no. 59. RANGARUA GAUERBAT: In order to prevent a burn from becoming infected, people would repeat these words three times, lick the burn three times, then spit. & Önnerfors, 34. RANMIGAN ADONAI: This is the beginning of a spell against diarrhea that was contained in a letter brought to Rome by an angel— perhaps one of the three archangels. This is a very long spell that also requests the assistance of Saint Veronica (Beronice). Ranmigan adonai. eltheos. mur. O ineffabile. omiginan. midannian. misane. dimas. mode. mida. memagar. em. Orta min. sigmone. Beronice. irritas. uenas. quasi dulap. fervor. fruxantis. guinis. siccatur. fla fracta. frigula. mirgui etsihdon. segulta. frautantur. arno. midomnis. abar vetlio. sydone. multo. saccula. pp pppp sother. sother. Miserere mei Deus. Deus mi. AMHN. Alleluiah. Alleluiah. Ranmigan adonai is the corrupted form of the Hebrew rav magen, “powerful shield;” eltheos, a compound word, is a mixture of this language with Greek, and means “God God.” Thanks to a Dutch manuscript from the fifteenth century, we know that sigmone means “blood” (sanguis). The sequence Beronice . . . siccatur has been deciphered as ”Veronica, you have irritated the veins like a pain[?]; the boiling of the flowing blood has dried up.” Other variations of this incantation are used against bleedings and the plague. ✦ Ka. & Storms, no. 35; Berthoin-Mathieu, 146. RAPA. R. TARN. TETRAGRAMMATEN ANGELI: This spell from the Livret de Romain closes with I.N.R.I., a blessing intended to paralyze firearms and other weapons. The caster asks the aid of Jesus, the Three Magi, the four evangelists, and Saint Uriel. & Grimoires, no. 268.
278 RATALIBUS • rator RATALIBUS: A reductive spell for the elderly when they suffer from a toothache. The word is copied over and over with a letter subtracted each time. This is then finished with the following inscription: R + NB + + + iii The symbol represents the animal that is gnawing on the teeth and causing the pain. Oddly enough, it is strongly reminiscent of a figure from The Lesser Key of Solomon. But other grimoires, such as the Kvam Grimoire, for example, show only the reductive spell. & Espeland, no. 29. RAT PAT CAT: It was once believed that no one could be defeated at cards if he wrote these words with the blood of a black dog. & BBE, 89. R ATOR: First in a series of ten names featured in a fifteenth-century incantation for inspiring the love of a woman, and also reputed to sow fears and terror (nomina pauentia et trementia).
† RAY † ROY † LAMITABIT † CASSAMUS • reductive spell 279 Rator. Lampoy. Despan. Brulo. Dronoth. Maloqui. Satola. Gelbid. Mascifin. Nartim. Lodoni. The texts do not make it possible to know whether these are the names of spirits or magic words. & Liber incantationum, folio 10 v°. † RAY † ROY † LAMITABAT † CASSAMUS: To prevent dogs from barking, this spell must be spoken in a place where there are crosses. Variant: † Roy † oy † lamitabat † cassamus. & Ghent, Belgium, University Library, ms. 1021 A, folio 145 r°; Braekman, no. 228. RECABUSTIRA: This is the first word in a reductive spell that is reduced one syllable at a time, not one letter. Recabustira, Cabustira, Bustira, Tira, Ra, A. The spell was used to materialize the magic carpet necessary for the interrogation of spirits, after the recitation of a prayer that began with Agla, which was repeated three times. At the end of the ritual, Recabustira and the other syllables were repeated three times, with the addition of Karkahita, Kahita, Hita, Ta, a. The answers to the questions asked of the spirits would then be obtained. & Clavicules I, 13. REDUCTIVE SPELL: To cause a disease to retreat and thus heal the patient, the caster takes a word, most often a palindrome—a long one preferably—and reduces it by subtracting a letter from it each day until it is no more than an initial. An example of this can be seen on this
280 REGNAB † SADAY fifth-century tablet that holds a charm for calming anger. It is a palindrome accompanied by a cluster of twelve magical names to its right. The Kabbalistic term Abracadabra is one of the oldest examples of such a reductive phrase. Appearing as early as the eleventh century BCE, it was inscribed on an amulet in Greek letters spelling a ba ga da. Abracadabra was used in 1790 against cold fever, as was ALMgata, not to mention Catanomare (in 1789). Around 1777–1789, we find Katalibus, Kalamaris, Cattatibusantrakus and Ratalibus, and Tanverkku in 1815, and Horiandus in 1850 to be used for a toothache. Around 1830, Aur(a)tabul (Auratabuk) made it possible to bind a robber. & Bang, no. 1043–54. REGNAB † SADAY: These words appear in a charm intended to free one from persecution and unfair trials, and to allow one to remain at liberty when facing criminal charges. The powers whose assistance is invoked include, among others, the archangels, the angels, the cherubs, then all the saints. Following the invocation, this is said: Amedam † Austis † Memor † Gedita † Eleison † Igion † Frigam † Fides † Valey † Unis † Regnab † Sasay † Afios Athanatos. & Enchiridion (Spanish), Oracion misteriosa para librarse de persecuciones, procesos jnjustos y salir bien librado en causas crjminales.
REman • rex. pax. nax. 281 REMAN: To compel the devil to appear before him, the caster would draw a circle at a crossroads, in which he drew a cross with the names of the Trinity on it, on three successive Thursday mornings. This word would be drawn each time. & Ohrt I, no. 987. RESTIA CLASTA: In the nineteenth century, for removing all kinds of curses, it was necessary to take a sheep’s heart, pierce it with nails, then hang it from the chimney while saying: Restia clasta, avarro, chasta, castadia, dara, N. Then one said over the sheep’s body: Il nye et bovuite. In this way one was able to get a grip on the heart of a sorcerer, who would come to ask for mercy. & Le médecin des pauvres. RETTEREN SALIBAT HISATER CRATARES: To recognize plants and minerals and to know their medicinal properties, one would carry a talisman carved with these four words; they would also be spoken in the presence of the patient. & Trésor, 182a. REX. PAX. NAX.: This spell, which can be found in an eleventhcentury English charm against migraines, must be written on the jaw of a person suffering from a toothache, and he or she will be cured. In Holland, the spell was written this way in the fifteenth century: rex pax nox in filio Dei. In Germany, it was written as REX, PAX, MAX, PRO with a nail from a horseshoe on three roads. This nail would then be hammered into a wall, and the individual would suffer no more from a toothache as long as the nail remained there. What is at work in this spell is the transfer of the problem into something else, a common action in folk medicine.
282 RHIBARIM RIBHARIM CAYPHARIM . . . • R. O. A. V A G X W & Munich, Germany, Bavarian National Library, Cgm 92, folio 7c; Heidelberg, Germany, University Library, Cpg 267, folio 14 v°; Storms, no. 51; London, British Library, Harley 585, folio 184 r°; Braekman, no. 118; Baldinger, “Aberglaube und Volksmedizin in der Zahnheilkunde”; Gallée, 459. RHIBARIM RIBHARIM CAYPHARIM CAYPHARIM DYAPHARIM DYAFORIM: This spell forms part of a complex ritual that takes place when the moon is in Taurus. This phrase must be repeated twenty times. Its purpose is to compel the appearance of a man to whom the caster will address his request, and the example that illustrates the ritual depicts a pauper who, thanks to the ritual, discovers a treasure. In the Arab source text, the spell reads this way: Rabqar rabqâr ‘ iqâm taqfûr taqfûr. & Picatrix IV, 3; Gâyat al-Hakîm, 310. RIBALD: This is one of the three words to speak aloud when knotting the britches’ laces, in other words cursing a man with sexual impotence. Ribald is said when making the first knot while also making the sign of the cross. Notal is the word for the second knot, also accompanied by a sign of the cross, and finally Vanarbi for the third knot. It also requires the sign of the cross. This action must be performed at a certain time during Mass. It should be noted that ribald means “debauched!” & Thiers IV, 582, 585. RITAS OMBAS ZAMARATH: These words are used to acquire knowledge of the art or science in which one would like to shine. To transmit it to another, one says: Ombas serpitas Quitathar Zamarath. & Trésor, 181a–b. R. O. A. V A G X W: For deliverance from all misfortunes, God’s aid is requested with the series of following caracteres: R. O. A. V A G X w Grammata Thrachotin S Palleo Zobola sa Rex on thiothr. The first two words refer to Tetragrammaton, the last to Sother. & Aymar, 327.
ROKES ZOToAS • rusiriab 283 ROKES ZOTOAS: To win at games of chance, one uses a die on which Rokes Zotoas Xatanitos Pilatus Tulitas has been carved, and it is sufficient to just speak these five words aloud. & Trésor, 183b–84a. RØYSEHAMPIS RABIS: To win at cards, take a cat, cut a notch in its ear in the name of the devil, and with its blood, write these words on your left hand with a new quill. & Bang, no. 1133. R R T. F. A. A. Q F. O. Q. Q. B. .V.: An Icelandic manuscript provides these caracteres, with the explanation, “If you want your enemy to fear you, carry these signs in your left hand!” & Saemundsson, no. 2. RUBRIES RISCAS MELONES: A spell for conjuring demon attacks. & Heim, 551. RUN RAS: To win a woman’s love and fill her with desire to come to you, say: Run Ras Paxifarmo Granduras Denclifaq, Panta Silante One adds, ”I conjure you by the four winds, by the ember and the coal, and by the devil Cojuelo, and by all the demons . . .” Granduras and so forth probably designate the winds. Cojuelo is a legendary demon of Castilian tradition, the limping devil who was quite popular in the seventeenth century. He can be seen mainly in the writings of Miguel de Cervantes and those of Velez de Guevera (1641). & Werner, no. 41, 205. RUSIRIAB: This word forms part of the spell Rusiriab † Sidrach † Phaas † Smisorich † Misael † Misach † Hertz vil din Ortz Amen. To protect the house from fire, it would be inscribed on lead and placed at the four corners of the dwelling. It is common knowledge that these areas of the house were sacred to the household spirits that allegedly
284 RUSIRIAB resided there. The German words Hertz vil din Ortz make no sense. It is easy to see that an idiom foreign to the scribe was incorporated into magic words by then. In the seventeenth century, the spell read like this: Ruaiab † sidrach † Srhaas † smisach † Misaell † misach † smitz vie Mels † Amen. We can recognize highly corrupted forms of the name of only one child in the furnace mentioned in the Bible (Daniel 3:51–90). Here the German can be translated as “melt away like fat!” & Bang, no. 1088, 1297, 1305, 1195 (only one man is mentioned); Ohrt II, 124; Franz II, 375, 484.
285 S SABOR. † SELES. † SELAS.: These are the opening words of a spell that says if a person wishes to have no fear of thieves and brigands, and to prevent any harm befalling him at their hands, ”he should carry these three names” on his person: Sabor. † seles. † selas. † bo. † N. V. [ . . . ] TetragrammatoN It should probably be taken as meaning the first three words. & Aymar, 346. SADAIJ AMARA ELON PHENETON: When the Hebrews left Egypt, Moses caused manna to rain from heaven and water to gush out of the rock by using these words, among which we can recognize names of God: Sadaij amara elon pheneton eloij eneij ebeoel messias ijahe vebu hejiane, ijananel elijon. They should be used when an individual finds himself in great distress or when he wishes to perform wonders. Sadaij is the Hebrew shaddaï (שדי ,(meaning ”all-powerful” and elon must be elyon (עליון ,( ”supreme.” & Semiphoras II, 7. SADAY HAYLOCS LUCAS ELACYUNS JACONY: These are the opening words that are inscribed on the forehead of the high priest Aaron when he speaks to the Creator. They have the power to ensure that all one’s wishes are granted. Saday haylocs Lucas elacyuns jacony hasihaia yeinino, sep, actitas barne lud doneny eya iebu reu, vaha, vailia, eye. Vie hahya hoya saya salna hahai, cuci yaya. Elenehel, na vena; setua. & Semiphoras II, 5.
286 SADIES SATANI AGIR . . . • SANTIKAPOUPIWAÏEIMONTIRAKAKARA SADIES SATANI AGIR FONS TORIBUS: If an individual wishes to discover a treasure, he should make his way to the place where he believes one can be found and speak these words while striking the ground three times with his left heel, then do it again, three times in a row. & Honorius, 103. SAGAROTH: This is the beginning of a spell that is presented as a “remedy by the prayers and orisons of Pope Leo III,” but which does not appear in that individual’s Enchiridion. Sagaroth † Aspanidore † paatia † vra jodion † Samacron † Fondon Aspargon Alamar Bourgavis Veniat. Serebonis, one adds the word that has been made flesh and dwelt among us. & Le médecin des pauvres. S A M A: For a miller to always have grain to grind, he should write the following on lead and conceal in a secret hole in the mill: S A M A ω- ε ρ α v z ε λ α Kηxes ampes rabs rors Kiend blode profinize. The spell combines Latin, Greek, and Danish, and is completely incomprehensible. & Ohrt II, 125. SANCITAN SANAMIEL SAMAFOELIS: To win the love of a young woman, you must whisper these words in her ear. & Brussels, Royal Library, ms. IV 9588, fifteenth century, folio 12 r°. SANGUET † CHRISTI † SIT † INTER † TE † ET ME †: In the Vaud canton of Switzerland during the eighteenth century, this spell was alleged to have the power to stop an enemy if spoken aloud. & Hervé, 365. SANTIKAPOUPIWAÏEIMONTIRAKAKARA: An Egyptian book of hermetic medicine conserved in London passed down this spell “against the Asian disease as the Cretans call it.” It must be spoken aloud over a vase containing urine and another liquid. & Lexa I, 66.
SAOS DRAOS DIDIMOS • satan adama 287 SAOS DRAOS DIDIMOS: An eighteenth- or nineteenth-century manuscript in the Romanian Academy Library in Bucharest gives this spell against fevers: Saos draos didimos Saos draos didimos Saos draos didimos & Bucharest, Romanian Academy Library, ms. BAR 1123, folio 36 v°. SARAIOUA SARAPHAEL: To reveal the identity of a thief, a person should write saraioua on a crust of bread and saraphael on a piece of cheese. The guilty individual will be unable to eat either. Variant: sarson Sampson. & Franz II, 336. SARBASMISARAB: A magic word used with caracteres to bewitch horses and prevent them from winning races. The opisthographic tablet (written on both sides) was discovered in Hadrumetum, a port of Roman Africa. & Audollent, 378–80. SARITAP PERMISOX OTTARIM: These words make it possible to open any lock without a key and to prevent any kind of detention. They must be engraved on a talisman whose ring must touch the lock at the time this spell is spoken. & Trésor, 180a. SATAN ADAMA: These two words provide the first two lines of the following magic square, which has been connected to the Knights Templar: S A T A N A D A M A T A B A T A D A M A N A T A S
288 satoj(R) SATOJ(R): The magic square Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas was used to protect livestock from all evil spells. In Poland the following spell would be written on a black tablet or paper, then hung in barns or stables: SATOJ(R) AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS It was also used to halt fire: it would be written down, then cast into the fire. It was used against rabies, and, in the following form when written on three sheets of paper that the patient would ingest over three days, it would cause fever to drop: SATAR APIRA TITIT AR IPA RATAS Very widespread in Europe, the spell has countless corrupted variants, such as these listed by Daiva Vaitkevičienė: + SATOR + AREPO TENET OPERA + ROTAS + S+A+T+O+R A+R+E+P+O T+E+N+E+T O+P+E+R+A R+O+T+A+S Sator apero tenet orepa rotas R A T A S A R E P A T E N E T A P E R A S A T A R s. o. t. o. r. o. p. e. r. o. t. e. p. e. t. o. r. e. p. o. r. o. t. o. s. Sotor Opero tenet Orepo rotas s. o. t. o. r. o. p. e. r. o. t. e. p. e. t. o. r. e. p. o. r. o. t. o. s. X SATUR X AREPA TEVET APERA X RUTAS X
sator 289 S a t a r A p i r a T i t i t A r i p a R a t a s S A T A R A P I R A T I T I T A R I P A R A T A S S A T A R A R I P A T I N I T A P I R A R A T A S +++++ Sator +++++ arepo +++++ tenet +++++ opera +++++ rotas SATOJ(R) AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS & Vaitkevičienė, no. 1376–92, 1533, 1625 (spell from Lithuania), 1377 (spell from Poland). SATOR: The first recorded instance of the spell Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas dates back to the year 70 AD. It was found in a Christian church in Pompeii. However, it was reversed and depicted in the following form: ROTAS / OPERA / TENET / AREPO / SATOR. It also appeared on other buildings elsewhere, such as among the graffiti of Bonaguil Castle (Perigord region of France).
290 sator The spell gave rise to a slew of possible interpretations, which can be found in the study by Harald Fuchs that has the merit of demonstrating that the spell contains a cross formed by TENET in the center of the square, which I will show by putting those letters in bold: S A T O R A R E P O T E N E T O P E R A R O T A S This has been interpreted to mean, “The laborer Arepo carefully guided the plow,” “The worker holds the wheels, the sower the plow,” “With his chest the sower maintains the wheels (of the world), his work,” and many other things that have no relationship to the spell’s use. An abbreviation for a monastic precept was read into it (SAT ORARE POTENter ET OPERAre RatiO TuA Sit) by those who had forgotten that the spell had been in use long before the formulation of this precept! It was generally accepted that Sator designated God insomuch as the begetter of gods and men (deorum genitor atque hominum sator), and an exhaustive search was made for its meaning by those who had forgotten that a magic spell is encrypted and its users certainly never sought to penetrate its secret. Undoubtedly its obscure nature was regarded, as in many other cases, as a guarantee of its efficacy. In fact, the magic square conceals the name of God. It is enough to replace the letters by their place number in the alphabet, then add together the two figures of the results to prove: SATOR 19 1 20 15 18 = 73 7 + 3 = 10 AREPO 1 18 5 16 15 = 55 5 + 5 = 10 TENET 20 5 14 5 20 = 64 6 + 4 = 10 OPERA 15 16 5 18 1 = 55 5 + 5 = 10 ROTAS 18 15 20 1 19 = 73 7 + 3 = 10 = 73 55 64 55 73 The sum of the two figures resulting from the addition is 10, no matter in what direction it is read. Zero does not count, as today when the proof is made by 9, and thus the answer remains 1, in other words
sator 291 the One, the Only, God. And if any shred of doubt remains, the fact that TENET forms a cross in the center of the square should lift that doubt. Let’s now take a look in what domains this spell was employed. † sator. Arepo. tenet. Opera. Rotas can be read in an eleventh-century Christian charm intended to provide an easy childbirth. Another one, found in a manuscript of the Letter of Hippocrates (thirteenth century) indicates that “this text should be attached to the belly of the woman in labor:” Maria peperit Christum † Anna Mariam † Elisabeth Johannem † Celina Remigium † sator † arepo † tenet † opere † rotas A third charm, in Middle English and Latin, placed rotas after several Christian phrases. Christus † vincit † Christus † regnat † Christus † imperat † Christus † te † vocat † mundas † te † gaudet [ . . . ] † a † g † l † a † alpha † et o † In another incantation, dating from the fifteenth century and intended to drive away the storm demon, the spell appears twice. First it appears following a citation of the antiphon O clauis David, one of the seven antiphons of the Christian vigil, then after the incantation, strictly speaking, that expels the demon from inhabited areas. 1. O clauis David et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis et nemo claudit, claudis et nemo aperit. Tetragrammaton. Alleluia. Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas. [O key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you who open what one can close and close what one can open. Tetragrammaton . . .] Then comes the conjuration: 2. Coniuro te, demon, per deum unum . . . [I conjure you, demon, by the one God . . .] 3. † Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas. † Crux est uerum signum. † Crux est reparacio † per hoc signum crucis fuge demon † Regia nosaan et gyran . . .
292 sator [Sator . . . The cross is the true symbol, the cross is reparation, by this sign flee demon . . .] We do not know the meaning of the last three words, and we presume that Regia, the word before them, would be Ragi El, “the firmament of God,” and that the last one would designate an angel assigned to the month of Kislev, third month of the ecclesiastical year and the ninth month of the Hebrew civil calendar. In The Lesser Key of Solomon, Sator opens an incantation intended to acquire grace and love, and it is represented on the second pentacle of Saturn, who is good against adversity and is most specifically used to lessen the pride of spirits. In 1743, Duke Ernst August of Saxony Weimar ordered that all wooden dishes that had already been used be saved in every village. He commanded that an arrow be drawn on each, along with Sator and so forth, as well as drawing figures on it on a Friday when the moon was waning between eleven and twelve o’clock, with fresh ink and a new quill. If fire broke out, the dish should be cast into it, in the name of God, and repeated three times, for the fire to go out. An eighteenth-century grimoire known as the Romanus Büchlein (Booklet of Romain) recommended the use of this spell to extinguish a fire without water. All one had to do was write it on both sides of a plate, then toss the plate into the fire. A little later, the spell was given to livestock in their food to protect them from witches and devils. In the nineteenth century, the magic square would be written on a piece of paper, then swallowed for protection against the consequences of a bite from a rabid dog. It also protected one from all kinds of fever if rubbed on one’s body. Our spell was corrupted into Arebrodas (Areb[o] rodas) and carried, written as follows, to protect against dog bites: Arebrodas Rebrodas Ebrodas Brodas Rodas Odas Das As
sator 293 In 1768, it was recommended that a piece of paper on which Sator and so forth had been written be glued to the main door of the house. Any thief who looked at the door would be unable to go any farther until this paper had been torn apart. Oddly enough, an entry door to a house in Grenoble shows the magic square on its upper panel. In 1793, this spell was used in Norway in coscinomancy (divination with a strainer or sieve). In Switzerland, the spell’s power was increased by writing it with a needle that had been used to sew a dead person’s shroud. In Prussia, the twenty-five letters of the spell were mixed with bread and given to a person under enchantment to eat to break the spell. This had to be eaten for nine days in succession. In his analysis of the spell, Josef Massenkeil observed that the hardest word to understand is Arepo, which is most likely a code. In his Romanian fieldwork, Felix Karlinger collected some extremely interesting information. His informant revealed that “the word should never be spoken aloud and is written in Greek; it includes a hidden meaning that can be read as apero. However, Apero is a Spanish word and means something close to harness or saddle. One is therefore harnessing the demon, and saddles it without its notice.” The magic square should be written on the ground with consecrated chalk that has come from a specific location. To conjure a demon and obtain answers to the questions asked of it, one dances on the letters, beginning with the one in the center and moving in a spiral to end on the letter R, on the right hand side of the
294 sator top of the square, while chanting certain phrases. To send the demon away, the same operation is performed in the opposite direction. In the documents contained in the Sachet accoucheur, we can find pentacles with the complete spell, but Sator appears separately in the list of divine names and descriptive phrases. † Agios † Sator † Helyas † Hemanuel † orc adonay athanatos † otheos † Pentaton † fons, † sapientia † virtus † paraclitus † . . . I would also like to point out a passage from a Leiden manuscript dating from the thirteenth or fourteenth century in which we can read: Rotas adrepotenat opera sator. Sator adrepotenat opera rotas. The spell can be found carved on three seventeenth-century rings. The first offers protection against swords, the second from indignity and debauchery, and the third from the anger of the high and mighty and persecution by evil people. One hundred years later it worked against colic if written this way: S † a † t † o † r, A † r † e † p † o † T † e † n † e † t, O † p † e † r † a † R † o † t † a s To protect one’s animals or people from harmful breezes and pestilences, this spell would be attached to them on a Friday before sunrise at an odd-numbered hour: S A T O R A R E P O T E N E T O P E R A R O T A S † J † C † S † H S b y 1 S a n n e t. U S M m a t e r o n n y † S b a b e 2 S†
† † † SATORA ROBOTE NETABE RATOTTA. S. † • saule 295 To learn if a woman was a witch, it was necessary to write: S A T O R † Crux Jesu Christi mild epos A R E P O † Crux Jesu Christi Mesopos T E N E T † Crux Jesu Christi Habenepos O P E R A R O T A S Then cull some Saint John’s wort into the piece of paper and enclose the spell and herb in a piece of leather to carry on your person. Corruptions: Sacred Magic or the Book of Abraham the Mage proposes Salom Arepo Lemel Opera Molas to win the love of a pope, emperor, or king. The spell can be found in an 1820 grimoire, written as SatoD Ajebo Teret Obera Roeas! & Hunt, 98ff., 133; Franz II, 94–95; Clavicules de Salomon I, 15, 60, 67; Leiden, Netherlands, University Library, codex Scaligerianus 28; Galdrakver, 35–36.; Secret 2, 291; Schulz, 198; Egyptian Secrets II, 332; Mowat, 41–68. A bibliography of the old studies and various interpretations of the spell can be found in Fuchs “Die Herkunft der Satorformel,” 28–54; Karlinger, 300–303; Massenkeil, 145–50; Cf. Frischbier, 23; Bang, 581; Tettau and Temme, 270; Romanus=Büchlein vor Gott der Herr bewahre meine Seele, meinen Aus=und Eingang; von nun an bis in alle Ewigkeit, Amen. Halleluja (Venice, Italy: n.d.), 7, which I (Lecouteux) translated in The Book of Grimoires, 191–208; BaK, 86; Coulon, 64 (to facilitate childbirth). † † † SATORA ROBOTE NETABE RATOTTA. S. †: These words, which are the ending to a prayer, should be spoken when one’s feet are in pain. We can recognize an extremely corrupted version of the Sator Arepo spell in Sator arobo tenet abera totta! & Egyptian Secrets II, 76. SAULE: To banish the effects of firearms, one speaks Christ’s words to Saul backward: Saule, Saule, qui de persequeris? (Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?), while adding words that Jean-Baptiste Thiers tells us have no meaning, and he does not tell us what they are. & Thiers I, 365.
296 SAX, AMON, SAX, ABRASAX • scheva SAX, AMON, SAX, ABRASAX: Spell used in Egypt to interrogate the moon; after rubbing your eyes with green and black makeup and then climbing to the roof of your house, this spell must be repeated seven or nine times while this astral body is full. & Lexa I, 86. SCEABOLES, ARBARON, ELOHI: This is the opening of a spell featured in a working “of experiment with invisibility.” It must be spoken within one’s heart in a tone of devotion before beginning the operation. The context indicates that it must involve the names of spirits conjured in the name of God (Elohim), as somewhat later, the caster addresses Almiras, “the master of invisibility,” and his ministers. & Clavicula, 51. SCHEVA: This magic word forms part of a recipe for winning the love of an individual, as passed down by the Petit Albert. You shall go on a Friday morning before sunrise to an orchard and harvest from a tree the most beautiful apple you can find; then you shall write your first and last name in your own blood on a small piece of white paper, and on the following line, the first and last name of the person whose love you seek, and you shall try to have three of his or her hairs, which you shall combine with three of your own and use to tie the small note you have written with another on which only the Scheva appears, also written in your own blood, then you shall cut the apple in half, remove the seeds, and in their place you shall put the two notes bound with the hairs, and with two small pointed sticks from a green myrtle branch, you will neatly put the two halves back together and dry it in an oven until it has become hard and without any moisture like the dried apples of Lent; you shall next wrap it in laurel leaves and myrtle leaves, and try to place it beneath the head of the bed in which the beloved individual sleeps, without his or her notice, and in a short while, she or he shall show you signs of love. Scheva is accompanied by this figure.
S d s • s . d. .s. .f. .s . 297 The Lesser Key of Solomon is the source of this passage, but the word used there is Sebeva. Scheva can also be found in a Colombian charm intended to destroy the potency of a rival in love. & Petit Albert, 17ff; Werner, no. 12, 199. S D S: In Byzantium, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were invoked against third- and fourth-degree fevers, as well as diurnal and nocturnal fevers, by asking that the patient be delivered from them thanks to the spell: ς Δ ς μ φ β θ. Ili Ili lama savachthani. The phrase, “My God, why have you forsaken me,” can be recognized here, preceded by caracteres (see Ely, Hely). & Tselikas, 75. S . D . S . F . S.: This is the beginning of a long series of caracteres that accompany a complex operation whose purpose is to find a lost object. The caster must hold a new knife in either his right or left hand and set down a bref containing the following group: & Heidelberg, Germany, University Library, Cpg 214, folio 55 v°.
298 SEME(H)T. SEGHEHALT. RAGNAHT. • SEMIPHORAS/SHEHAMPHORAS SEME(H)T. SEGHEHALT. RAGNAHT.: These are some of the opening words of the nineteenth magical orison from the Liber iuratus. semeht uel semet. seghehalt. ragnaht. reloymal. haguliaz. exhator. hanthomos. lezen. saccail. marab. briamathon. lephez. hiesacco. themay. salaihel. agessomagy. arothatamal. ✦ Liber iuratus. & Liber iuratus, chap. 29. SEMESEILAM: It is thought that this word derives from a Hebrew expression meaning “sun of the world” or “eternal sun,” or even from the Aramaic shemi shelam, “peace is my name.” A tablet found in Carthage says, “Semeseilam, the god that illuminates and darkens the world.” & Wünsch, no. 4, 248ff. SEMIPHORAS/SHEHAMPHORAS: This is the title of a grimoire on the unspeakable name of God formed from seventy-two Hebrew letters taken from verses 19–21 in the fourth book of Exodus. It appeared in German in 1686 and was attributed to Solomon. The name is taken from the Hebrew Shem ha-mephorash (המפורש שם .(In a straight line from the Kabbalah, it uses the numerical value of the letters to find all the divine names. These names are composed of seventy-two groups of three letters, each being the name of an angel. Among other things, this grimoire offers instructions on how to address the elements, spirits, the dead, and so on through two series of magic words. In the Lemegeton, the first book of The Lesser Key of Solomon, shehamphoras designate seventy-two demons, but this most likely means daimons in the Greek sense of the term.
SENAPOS ESTAMOS NOTARIN • seraphie seraphie 299 The Liber incantationum devotes a note to what it calls “semiforas, the great name that was written on Aaron’s forehead” (folio 106 v°–107 r°). The first book of Liber iuratus (see that entry) provides a version of the Semiphoras and adds the name of the angels bearing this “great name of God.” ✦ Abtan, Eliaon, Holomaati, Jod, Lagumen, Letamnin, Lyacham, Maya, Micrato, Saday, Sadaj, Yane, Yeseraye. & Semiphoras, Schäuble edition, 298; Kohler, 19–32; Eisler, 157–59. SENAPOS ESTAMOS NOTARIN: Carved on a talismanic ring, these words subjugate genies and abort any plans being laid against you. When using the talisman, you say: Senapos Terfita Estamos Pertifer Notarin. & Trésor, 180a–b. SENOZAN GORGORA GOBERDON: A prisoner seeking to escape should write these words on a piece of birch bark. & Werner, no. 42, 205. SEPA † SEPAGA † SEPAGOGA: According to Johann Weyer (Opera Omnia V, 8), this spell will stop bleeding. It was used in sixteenthcentury England to stop hemorrhages, as in the following charm: X Sepa X Sepaga X sepagoga X sta sanguis in nomine patris X podendi X & filij X podera X & spiritus sancti X pandorica X pax tecum. Amen. The reader will note the variation on podendi (meaning potenti, in other words “all-powerful”); pandorica would appear to be derived from pantocrator, which has the same meaning. & Scot, Book XII, chapter 18. SERAPHIE SERAPHIE: This spell is part of a complex ritual that takes place when the moon is in Scorpio, and it requires two earthen incense burners filled with water, a sacrifice, and fire. Its purpose is to cause the appearance of “a man to whom the caster will make his request, and who will fulfill it.” The Arab source text presents the spell as: Šarâfihâ šarâfihâ. & Picatrix IV, 9; Gâyat al-Hakîm, 315.
300 SESENGENBARPHARANGÊS • seven sleepers of ephesus SESENGENBARPHARANGÊS: This term is a vox mystica that is associated with the sun and quite common in Greek charms. It is found in spells featuring Abrasax, Adônai, barbaratham, cheloumbra, Barouch (blessed), and Iaô, as in a love charm written on a lead tablet found in Egypt that dates back to the fourth century. & PGM III, 109ff.; IV, 1805; V, 351, 365; VII, 645–50; Gager, 99, 269. † SEUS † DEUS † GRATIUS: This is a spell used in Denmark to bind a thief. It is used four times in this charm, which mentions Jesus’s encounter with the four thieves. It punctuates the three following conjurations: † Seus † deus † gratius. Freeze fast as stone and count for me every blade of grass growing on earth! † Seus † deus † gratius. Freeze fast as stone and count for me all the stars in heaven! † Seus † deus † gratius. Freeze fast as stone and count for me every grain of sand on the shores of the sea! † Seus † deus † gratius. Seus most likely represents sanctus. It will be noted that the charm imposes an impossible task on the robber; it so happens the same strategy is used every time one wishes to rid himself of a spirit or prevent one from approaching. Other variants use poppy seeds or peas to be counted. & Ohrt I, no. 916. SEVEN SLEEPERS OF EPHESUS: This refers to the legend of Malcus, Maximinus, Martinus, Dionysius, Johannes, Serapion, and Constantine, citizens of Ephesus who sought refuge in a cave of Mount Selyon to escape persecution, a legend that was spread thanks to Gregory of Tours. Insomniacs could find sleep by writing their names on a slip of paper that they placed beneath their pillow. This note also protected them from fever. To cure quartan fever, their names were written down, then dissolved in holy water, which was then given to the patient to drink. They were also invoked against demons, in much the same way as were God, the Virgin Mary, the apostles, and even elves, as in the following Latin charm:
SHOURIN, SHOURAN • sicilia 301 In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. I conjure you elves, and all kinds of nocturnal and diurnal demons, by the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, and the indivisible Trinity, by the intercession of the blessed still virginal Mary, by the prayers of the prophets, by the merits of the patriarchs, by the suffrages of angels and archangels, by the intervention of the apostles, by the passion of the martyrs, by the faith of the confessors, by the intercession of all the saints, by the seven sleepers whose names are Malchus, Maximinianus, Dionisus, Johannes, Constantinus, Séraphion, and Martinianus, by the name of Sunday that is blessed through the centuries, + A+G+L+A, so that you cannot harm or inflict any evil on this servant of God, N., whether he is sleeping or awake. +Christus vicit + Christus regnat + Christus imperat + may Christ bless us and protect us from all evil. Amen. (London, British Library, Sloane 963, folios 9 r°–v°) In sixteenth-century Iceland, the seven sleepers appear in an epistle that is used to overcome the madness sent by an evil spell caster to afflict someone. & Braekman, no. 111, 262; Hunt, 89; Franz, II, 480–82; Stockholm, Royal Library, ms. XIV in kl. 4°, folio 103; Heidelberg, Germany, University Library, Cpg 267, folio 12 r°; Galdrakver, 51; Acta Sanctorum July VI, 375–97; Bonser, “The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus”; Grimoires, no. 30, 115; Storms, no. 37–38. SHOURIN, SHOURAN: The beginning of a Coptic spell that must be spoken while preparing a love potion intended to steal the heart of the woman who drinks it. Shourin, Shouran, Shoutaban, Eibones, Sharsaben. After the spell, the caster adds: Klinmas, Klinmas, Masklin. & Lexa I, 101. SICILIA: The name of a fever, regarded as a sister of Elia, Vellea, Suffocalia, Commonia, Genia, and Eema. These names vary wildly according to the manuscripts. Ylia, Sayculia, Violetta, Suppocalia (suffocalia), Senye, Deneya,
302 SICLIS PICHE TICLIS • siesnbra fiat Emyta; Parlya (Paralysia), Reptilia, Fugalia, Astrata, Ruta, Ignata; Daliola, Vestalia, Fugalia, Superalia, Affrega, Lilia, Ligalia; Illia, Reptilia, Folia, Suffagalia, Affrica, Filica, Loena or Ignea. Each name represents a particular ailment, as shown by a twelfthcentury German manuscript in which we find: Nessia, Nagedo, Stechedo, Troppho, Crampho, Gigihte, Paralisis. Nagedo is coined from the word nagen (“to gnaw, erode”), Troppho from tropfen (“to drip”), Crampho means “cramp,” and Gigihte means “gout.” ✦ Gylloy, Names of demons. & London, British Library, Sloane 140; Sloane 389; Sloane 405; Sloane 2948, folio 22 r°; Ohrt I, no. 1143; Engelbert, Abbey Library, ms. 3/2 (twelfth century), flyleaf. SICLIS PICHE TICLIS: When a mirror is used for a divinatory operation (catoptromancy), the caster should go to a remote place and draw a circle on whose rim these words are written: siclis. piche. ticlis. noturas. baruch. cortex. garym. buent. hismuie. haruel. fuganes. fortym. fermal. faruc. cornalis. bosuo. zelades. pasapa. phirpa. tirph. Then the caster speaks a conjuration asking God to illuminate the mirror, while demanding the intercession of the three children in the furnace (Sydrac, Mysaach, Abdenago), the three kings (Caspar, Balthasar, Melchior), and the three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), and the operation is concluded with a spell that blends Christian and pagan elements: “And by the name of he who calls himself theoden, lien, elyon, uergiton, Christus dieu fort, Emanuel, Caspar, Caspan, Caspar, corpion, asmal.” Then many things appear in the mirror. & Liber incantationum, folio 39 v°–40 v°. SIESNBRA FIAT: To discover a thief ’s identity, the following words were written on a piece of paper that was placed under a heavy stone for three Thursday nights, then had water spread on top of it: Siesnbra fiat Tacit Nameium Dempus alligeum Tinut. The whole thing has been interpreted as forming a phrase asking for the thief to be bound in God’s name. & BBE, 75.
SILA ADONA ELOHIM • S IOPG F G LI 303 SILA ADONA ELOHIM: These three Hebrew names for God (I have been unable to identify the first) are used to bind a thief from a distance. They accompany a ritual in which one must spin around in a circle three times and draw three crosses. The variant Sila Adong Elohim appears in another charm that serves the same purpose but opens with these words: “Our Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples, ‘What I bind in heaven shall be bound on earth, and what I unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven in the name of (†††) Sila Adong Elohim.’” & Ohrt I, no. 920, 1294. SILLOMONDUS: To be the victor over the strongest adversary in a brawl, it is necessary to carry a small slip of paper on which is written: Sillomondus et hæritid Filli honstus nobis Coriander Cordo tempus alliqvo tugarij motan Commidatibus & Bang, no. 1084. SIMSVM: A magic word formed from the initials of six planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury) that is used on jewels for crafting amulets. SINISTRÆ PAX PAXAS EBULE: To compel a young woman to dance, most certainly against her will, one must write these words on cheese or wax, which is then placed beneath her doorsill. & Ohrt, II, 126. SION † MARON † SAPHERT †: This is the closing phrase in a charm of protection against thieves. & Hunt, 94. S IOPG F G LI: To inspire the love of a young woman, this phrase is written on a piece of bread that is given to her to eat. & BaK, no. 65.
304 SI ORGOME GACERITIS SIRITE • SOLAM S. TATTLER S. . . . SI ORGOME GACERITIS SIRITE: By saying these words, one can prevent a rifle from firing (eighteenth century). & Hervé, 357. SIRAS ETAR BESANAS: These words must be spoken aloud when using a talisman (a ring) to conjure the heavenly and infernal powers. & Trésor, 175b. SITIO: Words spoken by Christ while on the cross (“I am thirsty”), taken from the Gospel of John (19:28). These words were reused in the Orison of Seven Words, attributed to Bede. This orison guarantees one protection against all kinds of misfortune, including death without confession. ✦ Orisons. S K H: A post-Byzantine-period charm tells us that when someone has a terrifying enemy, he should recite the entire Psalm 24, write the following caracteres on a piece of paper, and invoke the archangels to send them fleeing: σχ δχ πε λε κ ψ λι κλ ψ χχ. & Tselikas, 74ff. S M K L: To counter the knotting of the britches’ laces, which prevents couples from enjoying sexual relations, one should recite the entire Apostles’ Creed, then, on three pieces of paper, write, “The Christ was born, the Christ was crucified, the Christ was resurrected and delivered Adam and Eve from bondage. Lord Jesus Christ our God, Son, and Word of the living God, crush and break the shackles and bonds holding your servant N. σ μ κ λ σ μ μ τα φ β θ, Amen. The writing of the first page should be diluted in water that the couple should then drink. The husband then places the second page by his right thigh, and the third one is placed beneath the couple’s pillow. & Tselikas, 76ff. SOLAM S. TATTLER S. ECHOGARTNER GEMATAR: These caracteres form part of the manufacturing of a magic mirror that allows one to see everything. It is buried at the fork of two roads at an oddnumbered hour and so on. It is also recommended that a cat or dog
XXX SORTHIE, SURTHIA, sorthios 305 be made to look in the mirror first. This prescription matches a very hardy belief of an earlier time, according to which a person could lose his or her soul by looking into a brand new mirror, or if one allowed oneself to be reflected too long in a cheval glass, one would see the devil appear in it. & Egyptian Secrets II, 116. XXX SORTHIE, SURTHIA, SORTHIOS: As part of a long procedure intended to summon a spirit to appear in a crystal, the caster drew two circles and had to write these words on parchment under a new moon during the hour when Jupiter, the sun, and the moon were in one of the signs of the zodiac such as Cancer, Sagittarius, or Pisces. He then had to wear it over his chest. The spirit who entered the crystal was then charged with the task of seeking out Sibylia, “the beautiful blessed virgin,” who would enter the second circle and answer any question asked of her. She will appear dressed in white and give a ring to the caster, who will slip it on to his finger and become invisible. He can verify this by looking into a mirror; he will see nothing in it. See also Panthon X Graton, because Sibylia is part of a group of three fairies. & Scot, Book XV, chapter 10.
306 SOUTRAM UBARSINENS • s s s x SOUTRAM UBARSINENS: With these words, genies will come to transport one wherever he wishes to go. To travel vast distances, one says Saram, and to return, Rabiam. & Trésor, 174b. S. Q. R. P.: This is the beginning of a larger series of letters on an amulet for stopping blood loss. It was necessary to write these letters on virgin parchment and then hang it around the person’s neck: S. q. r. p. r. tz. os. t. q. e. t. o. a. c. ge. e. h. x. cta . serenisa. & Aymar, 346. S. S. S.S. † Z.: This is a very long charm addressed to Jesus for protection against all weapons, “be they sharp or firearms, of wood, metal, wood, and fire”: S. S. S.S. †Z. †† Z. † C. S. † K. A. C. T. U. A. H. O. U. .C. H. H. The list was intended to encompass all possibilities. & Spamer, 344ff. S S S X: To counter all manner of curses and ills, the Greeks would recite the entire Apostle’s Creed, request, while making the sign of the cross, that all demons be destroyed, then repeat Saint Cyprian’s prayer to be protected from “all illnesses, the female demon, unlucky hours, the night, infernal, air-dwelling, or noon demon, and from all ghosts.” The Gospel of Matthew came next, with an invocation of the power of the sign of the cross and a request for aid. May the holy angel Sabaoth be before me, Michael at my right, Gabriel at my left, and Raphael on my head! May Uriel and Misaël assist me, Cherubim and Seraphim, powers of almighty God, attach and restrain my enemies that have cast themselves upon me, N., servant of God. Make me a shepherd and them my flock! May they find themselves before me blind, mute, and paralyzed, hunchbacked, and incapable of speaking . . . The conjuration continues with the evocation of various weapons and a request for protection addressed to Jesus Christ, the Virgin, Saint Constantine, and Saint Helen, then closes with:
STAPHULÉ (CΤΑΦΥΛΗ) • STOMEN CALCOS 307 Amen ς ς ς Χε δ π θ ο π ς θα u τ η ο β η π τ. The text of an amulet crafted for the same purpose is given as a conclusion (cf. Berthoin-Mathieu). & Tselikas, 79. STAPHULÉ (CΤΑΦΥΛΗ): This word, which means “bunch of grapes” and “uvula,” is carved on a lapis lazuli amulet conserved at the National Library of France in the form of a cluster, which corresponds with the format of reductive spells. CΤΑΦΥΛΗ ΤΑΦΥΛΗ ΑΦΥΛΗ ΦΥΛΗ ΥΛΗ ΛΗ Η & Sambon, 112. † STOEXHOR † ABALAY †: The opening of an orison to recite before going to bed in order to have a vision of the “celestial palace, God in all his glory, the nine orders of angels, and the company of the blessed spirits.” † stoexhor † abalay † scyystalgaona † fullarite † kesphiomoma † remiare † baceda † canona † onlepot † ✦ Liber iuratus. & Liber iuratus, chap. 101. STOMEN CALCOS: In an English incantation for a nosebleed, which dates from around 1100, we find the transcription of part of a Greek prayer: “Stomen calcos stomen metatofu,” which means, “Let’s maintain ourselves appropriately, let’s be respectful!” It must be written in the shape of a cross on the patient’s forehead. A medical codex from the eighth or ninth century offers this variant: Stomen kalaos stomen metaphow. & Storms, no. 54; Berthoin-Mathieu, 216; Singer, 258–60.
308 subul • sword brevet SUBUL: A magic word that is used in a charm to stop a hemorrhage. & Albertus Magnus, Being the Approved, Verified, Sympathetic and Natural Egyptian Secrets, 32. SUMUS OXO: In the summoning of the spirits of the week of the Italian Gran Grimorio, the caster uses a spell that contains these words to compel their obedience: Oxila Somus oxo, for Surgat, spirit of Sunday; Alexo Somus Oxo, for Lucifer; Lixalo Somus oxo, for Frimost, spirit of Tuesday. Although the spirits of the days of the week are included in Le véritable dragon noir et la poule noire, these spells are not mentioned. ✦ Kailos, Musso. SUPILILIE: To win a young woman’s love, write the following spell on your left hand, then clap your hands: Supililie Farer garislia Sacra [a heart should be drawn here] Ordinia Venta Venta urum Camiter Spen San Fattus Sarum. & Bang, no. 1124. SURGUR: If blood is flowing out of the right nostril, this word should be spoken over the left side. & Pseudo Theodore, 10ff., 276 (fifth century). SUSTUS FUSTUS FRATIS: For protection against rabies, write these words and then give them to dogs. & Ohrt II, 127. SWORD BREVET: Around 1780, this brevet (short note) was carried to provide protection against attacks and to ensure victory in brawls. It explicitly states, “No sword, axe, or knife can bite you when you have this brevet on your person.” Sole mando oasiluta Sabra Spesis Sole Mando Oscilutas Saba Spesis Fera habat Tabenta Jasa Sanar Sera habat Tabenta Doza Sanas
S. X. S. 4. 9. X. S. N. V. W. U. D.! • SZ / V / D / X / C / K: 309 Qvadua dimas pulmoruno Qvadua Dimas Pulmonorumfamma Famaseise Sapas Crema alfunt Seicef-esapas Crema Alfuit Debmus Seara Seraslos alo Debæmus Seara Sierasla volo Seurata Cabi Lolulos in Nomine Ne Matris Sieuts Spiritus Amen Seuroto—Babi Colubos Je Nominematris Silius Spiritus Amen Around 1830, it was believed necessary to write these words on paper with bat blood. The Latin has been corrupted beyond repair and only the end of the text is identifiable (In nomine patris, and so on). Dimas is Dismas, the good thief, whose name has been passed down to posterity by the Gospel of Nicodemus. & BBE, 59: s.v. “Sverd breev”; Bang, no. 1084b; Grambo, “Formler for døyving av sverd. En motivanalyse.” S. X. S. 4. 9. X. S. N. V. W. U. D.!: This series of caracteres closes a charm against caillebottières, which is the term for witches who steal milk from a distance. It was discovered in 1906 during the demolition of a stable. It was hidden in the threshold beam. & Spamer, 96. SZ / V / D / X / C / K: To win a young woman’s love, one must write these caracteres on an apple in such a way that she doesn’t see them, then have her eat the fruit. Variant: v. d. x. c. k. h. & Braekman, no. 349.
310 T TALIY: A magic word that must be repeated three times in the Conjuration of the Shepherd’s Star, in order to obtain the love of a young woman. & Secrets magiques pour l’amour, no. LIX, 47. TANTALE PIE: To stop a nosebleed, the following spell is written on three laurel leaves that are then washed in leek juice that is then given to the patient to drink: Tantale pie, pie Tantale, Tantale pie. & Pseudo Theodore, 10ff., 276 (fifth century). TASCA MASCAS VENAS OMNES: When combined with an adynaton, this spell heals a nosebleed. & Pseudo Vegetius, iv, 26. TATAI TATYT: To find love, these words would be written down, then carried on one’s person. This may be a borrowing from the Toto Aiti Aitai of the Enchiridion Leonis Pape. Variant: Jatai Jyt. & Ohrt II, 128. TAU/THAU: This last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which was quickly confused with the Greek tau (the Latin T), was transformed into a caractere and a magic symbol. It was also cited in the Bible (Ezekiel 9:4, 6; Job 31:3, 5). In his History of the Franks (IV, 5) Gregory of Tours recounts how the tau appeared on the walls of houses and churches when an epidemic of the inguinal plague was raging in the Arles region. This sign was given an apotropaic value in the Middle Ages in the belief that it provided protection against pestilence. The
TAX. MOAX. VOAX • TEGNETA ABODONIKA 311 cross of Caravaca, for example, is topped with a Latin inscription that reads, “By the virtue of this Tau. With which the son of Israel is designated, may our God free us of contagion! Son of God, take pity on me!” This cross provides protection from calamities, most importantly storms. Domine Tau libera me, In nomine Patris, and so on. The tau is described as a “venerable symbol of the holy letter” (Clavicula, 17). ✦ Arcum conteret. TAX. MOAX. VOAX: See Minate. † TE † E † R † 9 † G † A † M † N † E † N †: This way of writing Tetragrammaton can be found in a fifteenth-century Dutch spell for relieving a toothache. The deformation of the name changes the perspective: we are leaving the Christian world for that of pagan magic. ✦ Fetra; Tetragrammaton. & Braekman, no. 116. TEGNETA ABODONIKA: This is the beginning of a summoning of evil spirits that was used in Sweden around 1870. It is accompanied by caracteres. Tegneta abodonika ärepa Salonia Rotas Belial, Belsebuleb Luciferdiabolus asonans avec tous les artifices des hommes qui leur sont soumis ont été apaisés au nom du Père, au nom de Dieu le Père, au nom du Fils de Dieu et au nom du Saint-Esprit de Dieu, Amen. We can recognize disfigured fragments of the spell Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas, presented in a different order. & BaK, no. 56.
312 † TEL † BEL † QUEL † CARO † MORS † AQUA • TERA. TERA. TERA. † TEL † BEL † QUEL † CARO † MORS † AQUA: To not be put to the question [euphemism for torture at the hands of the Inquisition— Trans.], this spell was used during the seventeenth century. & Enchiridion (anno 1663), 166. TENTA SORTEM OVIS: To win the love of a woman, it is necessary to take the yolk from an egg laid on Holy Friday and three drops of blood from your left little finger, place this on red-hot ash, crush it into powder, and give it to her to eat or drink while saying this spell three times. & Secrets magiques pour l’amour, no. XXXI. † TEN THURAN, TEN APHRODITEN: This spell is attached to the door to provide protection to a house and its inhabitants. It opens with: “The door, Aphrodite,” then the goddess’s name is repeated, reduced one letter each time: † Ten Thuran, Ten Aphroditen † Τήν θύραν, τήν 'Αφρδιτην phroditen φροδιτην roditen ροδιτην oditen οδιτην diten διτην iten ιτην ten την en ην n ν The letters are arranged to depict a cross. & PGM II, 189. TERA. TERA. TERA.: This is the beginning of a spell that is intended to prevent or heal dysentery. Tera. tera. tera. testis. contera. taberna. gise. ges. mande. leis. bois. eis. andies. mandies. moab. lib. lebes The closing phrase of this spell is: Eax. filiax. artifex. Amen. While several Latin words are identifiable, the whole of the spell makes no sense. It seems, though, that one needs to touch the ground in order to transfer the disease to it.
TERIX. CONTERIX. PETRONIX. . . . • TETRAGRAMMATON 313 ✦ Eax, Ire. & Berthoin-Mathieu, 193; Storms, no. 68. TERIX. CONTERIX. PETRONIX. PETRONISSA. TERIX: According to a thirteenth-century manuscript, these are the words the angel allegedly spoke to Mary during the Annunciation. With them, an entity called “worm” is summoned in order to prevent it from devouring you or biting flesh and bone. This spell is also effective against migraines and the “flying gout,” a name for a parasite. & Berlin, Prussian State Library, Latin ms., quart. 2, folio 25 r°. TERRA, FARRA, GARRA: If a man approaches a dog while holding his left testicle in his hand, then spins around while saying these words, the animal will not bark. & Ritual of High Magic. TERRA PESTEM TENERE SALENE: To treat gout, it was believed necessary in the eighteenth century to say the following spell nine times while fasting, then spit on and rub the afflicted limb with volatile alkali for seven days. terra pestem tenere salene, salene, salene manete his hirè pedibus & D’Abano, 94. TETRAGRAMMATON (τετράγραμματον): The term tetragrammaton means “God in four letters.” In a fourteenth-century herbal benediction, these are expressed as: Joth, Ey, Way, He (יהוה ,(meaning Jehova. Isidore of Seville wrote this as: joth he vau he in the sixth century. According to other exegetes, it would be: Joem, sai, neot, he, or else the first four letters from the beginning of the Jewish morning prayer: aleph, beth, lamed, and aleph. The Jews are alleged to have said “Adonai the ineffable tetragrammaton YHWH” (Yahwe). The writer of the Sachet accoucheur rendered this ineffable name of God as V.I.O.O(n). H.V.A.V., before interpreting it as ioth, meaning “beginning”; he, meaning “just”; vau, meaning “life”; and neth, “passion.” The tetragrammaton is used for fevers when written on a sacred wafer as follows: † te †tra †gra † ma † ton (Hunt, 360). A sixteenth-century
314 thebal Italian charm against quartan, tertian, and constant fevers closes with this spell: Agios, tragmaton ataneatam Samuel e Manuel, Hyesus primus novissimus agessia agios, fiat fiat fiat. Amen. These other spellings can also be found: tetragramacio, trenagramaton, tetagraamaton, Fetra gramalum, Tara gramaton, Tera gramator, grammata Trachotin. ✦ Fetra; Tragta gramontetta. & Franz I, 409; Isidore of Seville VII, 1, 16; Kohler, 19–32; Lauterbach, 39–67. THEBAL: This magic word appears in countless medieval spells. For protection from cramps, it is necessary to write this on a parchment: + Thebal + Ech + Guth + Et + Guthanay, and carry it on your person (England, fifteenth century). A manuscript from the cathedral library of Canterbury contains a splendid incantation against cramps. It requires that one take a piece of parchment, make the sign of the cross over it like this: ,III, then write: + Thebal + Guthe + Guthanay + in nomine patris + et filij + et spiritus sancti Amen + IRe nazarenus + Maria + Johannes + Michael + Gabriel + Raphael + verbo carum factum est + Next, the parchment must be folded in such a way that none of the letters on it can be seen. “There can be no doubt that he who bears it with honesty and reverence in the name of all-powerful God, will be saved. This charm (iste carmen) possesses great power thanks to God who gave words, stones, and plants their virtues. It must be used secretly so that everyone does not learn of it and cause this gift of God to lose its strength.” In the eleventh century, we find it in a protection charm against dwarves. It is necessary to say: thebal guttatim aurum et thus
thebal 315 de. + albra Iesus. + alabra Iesus + Galabra Iesus, then write on three waffles: THEBAL GUTTA. The beginning of the spell is reminiscent of Isaiah 60:6 (All from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense; omnes de Saba venient, aurum et thus deferentes). Thebal has also been compared with the Hebrew word for healing, thehalah. For protection from gout around 1350, individuals would carry a bref with: Tepal guth gutta Niteas Ne ganim guspas. In October 1904, a gold ring with a square section, which was dated to the last third of the thirteenth century, was discovered in Donauwörth, Bavaria. The inscription it bears exhibits a clear kinship with the one above: + GVGGVGBALTEBANI + ALPHA & ω + EHERAVELAGAIHAEHRA + ENORAYA. ω + GVT + GVNANIA + ADOSDE.B.E.L ω + MELCHAAGLA + AQTVO LC LO M O—OI In it we find Agla, combined with Melcha, “a very sacred name.” A Munich manuscript informs us that “whoever bears it on their person shall be delivered from all peril.” The word THEBALGVTGVTANI, sometimes written in Greek letters, as is the case on a ring found in 1846 (+ ΘHBAΛΓ VΘΓ VΘA NI), is extremely frequent on magic rings, like those discovered in the Wiltshire region (Debal gut Gudani), Glamorganshire (ΘΗΒΑ Λ Γ YΘΓ YΘΑ Ν Ι), Rockingham (Guttu: gutta: madros, adros / Thebat: adros: adros), Rome (AΩGVTGVT THEBAL GVTTANI), and Petrossa (GVTANI OD HAILAG). Comparison with a Latin charm against cramps or spasms suggests that the ring adorned with this word protects the wearer from this affliction. A ring was discovered southeast of Jutland that bore: † TH | EB | AL | GV | VT | HA N | Carved on the rim of a fifteenth-century talismanic ring discovered in the Worcestershire region of England, we find: + THEABIGVTHVTHANI. One side of a silver brooch reads: EZERA. EZERA. ERAVERAGAN + GUGVRALTERANI. ALPHA Et. Ω.
316 THEON, HALTANAGON, HARAMALON • theos On the other side this inscription appears: +AOTVUNO OIO MO OOIO AV. On the square section of a ring found near Amiens, France, in 1763, the following long spell appears: + OE GUTA + SAGRA + HOGOGRA + IOTHE + HENAVEAET + OCCINOMOC + ON + IKC + HOGOTE + BANGUES + ALPHA 71B + ANA + EENETON + AIRIE + OIRA +ALGA + OMEGA + ADONAI + HEIERNATHOI + GEBAL + GUTGUTTA + IEOTHIN & London, British Library, Sloane 56, folio 7 r°; Hunt, 348; Berthoin-Mathieu, 154, 492ff.; Storms, no. 78; Ohrt II, 128; Harmening, “Zur Morphologie magischer Inschriften,” 67–80; Mély, 342–53; King, 25-34, 149–57, 225–35; Evans, 123. (The Evans book focuses particularly on England.) THEON, HALTANAGON, HARAMALON: This is the opening to the magic phrase in a thirteenth-century orison requesting that God give us wisdom. Theon, Haltanagon, Haramalon, Zamoyma, Chamasal, Jeconamril, Harionatar, Jechomagol, Gela Magos, Kemolihot, Kamanatar, Hariomolatar, Hanaces, Velonionathar, Azoroy, Jezabali. By these holy and glorious mysteries, by these precious offices, the virtue and knowledge of God, correct my beginnings, Zembar, Henoranat, Grenatayl, Samzatam, Jecornazay. ✦ Ars notoria. & Ars notoria, 72; Liber iuratus, chap. 64. THEOS: This is the lead-in of the eleventh magic orison from the Liber iuratus. It allows the speaker to obtain a divine vision. Theos † megale † patir † ymos † hebrel † habobel † hecoy † haley † helyhot † hety † hebiot † letiel † iezey † sadam † salaseey † salatial † salatelli † samel † sadamiel † saday † helgyon † helliel † lemegos † mitron † megos † myheon † legmes † muthon † michoyn † heel † hesely † iecor † granal † semhel † semobzhat † semeltha † samay † geth † gehel † rasahanay † gelgemana †
THEOS PATER VEHEMENS • THEZAY LEMACH OSSANLOMACH . . . 317 semana † harasymihon † salepatir † selapati † ragion † saletha † thurigium † hepatir † vsion † hatamas † hetanas † harayn. Hepatir is the Greek ho pater, “father.” It is identical to a word close to the terms of an orison that is good for the memory, this term being encrypted as follows: m : m :: r:. . m (memoriam) When one wishes to study, it is necessary to say lemach, lemoch, salmalsaach, and so on. One says Theos patir beherenos to invoke God’s angels, notably Eliphat, Nasay, and so on, and to ask the Lord to illuminate one’s consciousness and strengthen one’s intelligence. It is easy to see that God the Father (Theos patir) is being turned to for the request expressed by behere, which remains incomprehensible. We find Theos. Patir. behemnos. lehernnyos. behenny in other orisons (no.s 14 and 16). & Liber iuratus, chap. 46; Franz II, 259ff. THEOS PATER VEHEMENS: When a magical operation is begun beneath a new moon, prayers are addressed to God with requests for his aid in purifying consciousness and strengthening understanding in order to remember what the individual has learned from the following orison: Theos Pater vehemens; God of the angels, I implore and invoke you by your very holy angels, Eliphamasay, Gelomiros, Gedo bonay, Saranana, Elomnia. ✦ Ars notoria. & Ars notoria, 117. THEZAY LEMACH OSSANLOMACH AZABATH: This is the opening of an extremely long thirteenth-century incantation contained in an orison whose purpose is to endow the student of the liberal arts with wisdom. Thezay lemach ossanlomach azabath azach azare gessemon relaame azathabelial biliarsonor tintingote amussiton sebamay halbuchyre gemaybe redayl hermayl textossepha pamphilos Cytrogoomon bapada lampdayochim yochyle tahencior yastamor
318 thigat Sadomegol gyeleiton zomagon Somasgei baltea achetom gegerametos halyphala semean utangelsemon barya therica getraman sechalmata balnat hariynos haylos halos genegat gemnegal saneyalaix samartaix camael satabmal simalena gaycyah salmancha sabanon salmalsay silimacroton zegasme bacherietas zemethim theameabal gezorabal craton henna glungh hariagil parimegos zamariel leozomach rex maleosia mission zebmay aliaox gemois sazayl neomagil Xe Xe Sepha caphamal azeton gezain holhanhihala semeanay gehosynon caryacta gemyazan zeamphalachin zegelaman hathanatos, semach gerorabat syrnosyel, halaboem hebalor halebech ruos sabor ydelmasan falior sabor megiozgoz neyather pharamshe forantes saza mogh schampeton sadomthe nepotz minaba zanon suafnezenon inhancon maninas gereuran gethamayh passamoth theon beth sathamac hamolnera galsemariach nechomnan regnali phaga messyym demogempta teremegarz salmachaon alpibanon balon septzurz sapremo sapiazte baryon aria usyon sameszion sepha athmiti sobonan Armissiton tintingit telo ylon usyon, Amen. There are several identifiable words such as beth, which could be either the letter of the Hebrew alphabet or “the dwelling,” (בית־אל ;(or the Greek cratos, meaning “powerful.” ✦ Ars notoria; “Azay lemach.” & Ars notoria, 105ff. THIGAT: In twelfth-century England, a spell that opened with this word was used to heal invalids. The body of the spell continued with invocations of the crosses of Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This obscure spell takes the following form: Thigat. Thigat. Thigat. calicat. Archlo. cluel. Sades. Achodes. Arde. et hercleno. Abaioth. ArcocugtiA. Arcu. ArcuA. fulgura. sophuinit. ni. cofuedi. necutes cuteri. nicuram. Thefalnegal. Uflem. archa. Cunhunelaja. Several words are identifiable, but the meaning of the whole thing escapes us. Furthermore, the copyists of the time do not seem to have grasped what they were reading: Abaioth—which could be abba ioth,
three kings 319 “father of the beginning”—has become Nonanaioth, cunhunelaja, tuxuncula, and the words no longer appear to be divided in the same way. & Storms, no. 70, no. 71 (another variant). THREE KINGS: The use of the names of the Three Magi or Three Kings was allegedly the recommendation of Pope John XXII (1276– 1277). Extremely popular, the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar can be found in magic texts everywhere. Their Hebrew names (Galgalat, Magalath, and Sarachim) as well as their Greek names (Apellus, Amerus, and Damasiu) are not used in Western spells. According to Pope John XXII, to fight epilepsy, it is necessary to write their names on parchment and hang it around the ailing individual’s neck. The accepted phrasing is: “He who bears these names: Melchior, † Pabtizar † Caspar is by the grace of Christ delivered from the falling sickness.” Their names are also effective for bleeding. Another prescription combines their names with those of God (Messias, Sother, Emmanuel, and so on), and this kind of charm can be found in countless manuscripts. Their names help facilitate childbirth when connected with the Charm of Saint Suzanne and the phrases Christus natus, Christus vincit, and so on. When combined with Ananizapta, the names of God, and Jesus autem transiens, the Three Kings provide protection against the plague. When combined with the names of the evangelists and Christus vincit, and so on, they protect one from all misfortunes. If they are coupled with Saint Felicity and the three men in the furnace, they provide protection against all one’s enemies. The initials of their names (CBM) provide protection to houses.
320 three kings The abbreviation “Cabane,” with an N for the M in Melchior, was used as a baptismal name into the fifteenth century. In the twelfth century, Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar were the patron saints of travelers. If their names were used in combination with the Apostles’ Creed, the Trinity, and Jesus autem transiens (Luke 4:30), a person could travel in complete security. They were invoked to prevent fatigue from walking, for example, by writing the phrase: “May the three mage kings, C. M. B., be my road companions,” on three slips of paper that were attached to the hollows of the traveler’s knees. In the fifteenth century the charm said: Caspar me ducat, Balthasar me regat, Melchior me salvet, et ad vitam aeternam me perducant (“May Caspar lead me, Balthazar guide me, Melchior save me, and may they lead me to eternal life”). The following spell against disease was carried like an amulet: + Melchior + Pabtizar portans hec nomina + Caspar Solvitur a morbo Christi pietate caduco [By bearing these names, one will be protected from the falling sickness by the grace of Christ.] The physician Bernard of Gordon (died before 1330) indicated that this spell needed to be repeated in an epileptic’s ear three times in succession, and he would be healed. On the back of a Scottish brooch dating from the fifteenth century, the name of the three kings is accompanied by the word consummatum. Over the course of time, the three kings gained the reputation of being able to offer protection against thieves, bad weather, and fire, and their image was borne with the phrase: Sancti tres reges Gaspar, Melchior, Balthasar, orate pro nobis, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae (“Three holy kings Gaspar, Melchior, Balthazar, pray for us now and at the hour of our death”), according to Jean-Baptiste Thiers. When a horse was being shod, this phrase was whispered in its ear to keep it still: Caspar te tenet, Balthasar te liget, Melchior te ducat (“May Caspar hold you, Balthazar bind you, Melchior lead you”), and a cross was drawn on its forehead each time. In a compilation known as the Ritual of High Magic, mistakenly attributed to Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, the names of the three kings were used to ensure accurate shooting. The phrase, “Gaspard, Balthazard, Melchior, guide my bullet to the animal I wish to slay,” was